28 March 2016

Inspiration Playlists

I have found that I really enjoy writing with music in the background.  Everyone has personal preferences, of course, but for narrative pieces it is a boon to my process.  I used to be one of those people who thought I could only put pen to paper (metaphorically, of course) in total abject silence.   Aside from being impractical for anyone who has a life or family, I found that music added a level to my writing I didn't expect.  Tone, set by a song, absolutely starts to creep into my work.  I feel it inspires me, thrusting my brain into the mindset of the world I'm working in.

So what do I listen to?  I don't listen to music with lyrics - those I do find distracting while searching for my own words.  This tends to leave me with a lot of scores and soundtracks.  As I work on a project, I will build a playlist for that particular work - utilizing albums and tracks that have the right feeling for it.  Because they are all lyric free, I tend not to get sick of the music.

A.N. has definitely benefitted from this - and was the first piece I tried music with my writing.  The playlist consists of several thematic scores:  Book of Eli, Dredd, Bladerunner, Ink, Mass Effect and others.  I'm curious if anyone else listens to music and how they decide what inspires them.  

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